Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy is a proven method to aid in the recovery from trauma and benefiting those suffering from PTSD, anxiety, depression, and panic disorders.

The American Psychiatric Association, the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, the U.S. Dept. of Veterans Affairs/Dept. of Defense, The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, and the World Health Organization among many other national and international organizations recognize EMDR therapy as an effective treatment.

EMDR allows for the brain to perform its natural healing process on the trauma. This natural process is a communication between the amygdala, the hippocampus, and the prefrontal cortex. To stimulate these areas, a patient can follow a light back and forth, hold buzzers in their hands, or listen to sounds; they are equally effective. Sometimes EMDR can accelerate treatment because there isn’t a need to collect an entire backstory, a multi-session event. The result of EMDR does not eliminate the memory of the traumatic event but removes the emotional response. Finally, EMDR can be useful in curing sleep disturbances and terrors.